A Time for Goodbyes
by Jaded Catalyst
Summary: High school is full of choices. Sacrifices are a must and we have no choice but to learn to move on. With such a long and winding path ahead of them, can the Naked Brothers Band hold out in high school or is it time for them to take their final bow?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Naked Brothers Band or any of the characters assosiated with the TV series. Any original characters belong to me.

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**Chapter 1**

No matter how many times the sun set, everyone always knew that it would rise again. For every dusk, there would be a dawn. For every night, there would be a day. For every beginning, there would be an end, and for every end, there would be a new beginning. It was one of the few things in life that they would be sure of. Change was inevitable, but they always knew that there would be a beginning and there would be an end.

And today would just be another one of those special days when it seemed like none of that mattered.

Time was at a standstill. It was the last day of their summer vacation, and The Naked Brothers Band decided to spend it in style. Lounging atop their "hippified" tour bus, the band had not a care in the world. They had performed in front of millions of people, run from rabid fans, and fended off ravenous reporters, but it was times like this that made them feel alive.

Fifteen minutes until sunset.

Cooper felt a vibration in his pocket and took out his phone, which had been silenced so that it wouldn't ruin the moment. For a second, he contemplated answering it, but shut it off entirely and set it off to the side. For once, business could wait until later.

Qaasim was passing the time, flipping through a good book. It didn't matter what he was reading; everyone knew that it was going to be a few grade levels ahead of him anyway. David and Thomas were sitting with their legs dangling off the roof of the bus, staring out at the amazing view of the city. They were trying to spot their houses from where they sat. In the middle of the bus was Alex, staring dreamily to the sky, watching as the clouds lazily floated by.

And, of course, there was Nat and Rosalina, sharing a moment together as if nothing else mattered. It had been one year since they had made their feelings known to each other, and since then, their time together had been nothing short of magical. Although the rest of the guys were a bit disappointed that it wouldn't be as fun to tease the two, they were genuinely happy for the couple, and wished them all the best.

Ten minutes until sunset.

"Can you believe summer's over?" Qaasim asked, abruptly ending the comfortable silence.

The unexpected noise had caused Alex to jump slightly and the other boys to turn their heads. Nat and Rosalina were the ones who were most caught off guard. He had been leaning in to kiss her, but as soon as they realized they were being watched, they suddenly found themselves sitting several feet away from each other, blushing wildly. Despite having been together for a full year, they were still quite shy about public displays of affection, even in front of their closest friends.

Nat coughed, still trying to protect what was left of his dignity. "I thought you were reading, Qaasim."

"Not really," he said, a giant grin plastered on his face. "I've been on the same page for the past twenty minutes. Was I interrupting something?"

"Ha. Ha. Very funny, Qaasim." Rosalina scooted back over to her spot next to Nat now that everyone had settled down.

He put his arm around her, but nothing more. Nat knew that if he got any closer to her, the guys would be all over it.

Cooper, always the mature one, decided to take the spotlight off the couple despite how amused he was by the whole ordeal. "So what were you doing reading the same page over and over again for twenty minutes? It's not like you, Qaasim."

"I don't know. I was just thinking, I guess."

David and Thomas had finally decided to join in on the conversation, having already missed their chance to make fun of Nat and Rosalina.

"About what?"

"A lot of things. I mean, can you believe that we're all going to be in high school tomorrow?"

"Wait. What about me?" Alex said, reminding everyone that he was significantly younger than the rest of them.

"Well, you know that they're renovating Amigos, right? The middle school, high school, and elementary school will all on the same floor. Everything's changing."

"But that could be a good thing, too," David objected. "We won't be separated by floors anymore. We get to see everyone at school, even Alex. Right?"

"I guess." Qaasim still seemed a bit unsure.

"Don't worry about it. High school's fun."

"Easy for you to say, Rosalina," Thomas said. "You're already halfway done. You're a junior. You're an upperclassman now. We're just a bunch of freshman."

"And a fifth grader," Alex said, once again reminding them of his youth.

"Don't worry, Alex. We're not forgetting about you. And, hey you guys, if I can walk through those doors without having any friends and survive, then you guys can surely make it through four years together. You're all lucky. At least you have each other."

Nat gave her a quick little squeeze so no one would notice; he had always admired her strength and ability to adapt to loneliness. "She's got a point."

"You're only agreeing with her because she's your girlfriend."

Once again, Nat blushed, and once again, Cooper was there to rescue him.

"Hey guys, look. The sun's going down."

Six heads turned to the horizon as the sun began to set. The large, golden orb slowly sunk into the invisible line in the sky, bathing the world with just a few more seconds of its warmth. Soon, the twilight set in and a still breeze swept over the land. Rosalina rested her head in Nat's chest, welcoming his warmth. The rest of the guys were still entranced by the residual light lingering in the rapidly darkening sky.

Nat looked at his companions and sighed in contentment. This was how it always should have been. There they were, sitting on a hill on top of their tour bus, the vessel of all their hopes and dreams. They sat together in silence, enjoying the very presence of one another. As Nat glanced out at his best friends and at the girl of his dreams wrapped up in his arms, he knew that he was happy.

"Do you guys think it's possible," he asked whimsically, "for the world to look this way forever?"

No one said a word.

At the time, they thought that they had kept their silence in order not to spoil the moment. It was such a simple question, and they each assumed the others had said yes to Nat's question – that they would always be that happy when they were all together. It never once crossed their minds that maybe no one responded his question, not due to their reverence of the moment, but simply because not one of them had the answers.

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_**AN:** Yay for a new story! This is going to be a sort of reflection of my own feelings of high school and graduation (which is in 13 days for me). If you didn't guess yet, it occurs one year after the events of Polar Bears. I'm really excited about it, and I hope you will all enjoy it!_

_I was hoping that the first release would contain the first five chapters, but due to a lot of things going on, it has been reduced to the first two chapters. Oh well. It's still something, right?_

_And are there any Jack's Mannequin fans out there? You might recognize a line or two. Begins to frolic about the house singing the song "MFEO"_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Of course, Thomas was just as excited about starting school as the rest of them. It was a great milestone in his life, and he was very well aware of that. He had gone through the same stages of incredulity, anxiety, and enthusiasm as everyone else did.

But it was just too early in the morning.

Thomas was surrounded by robots; they were all completely functional the very instant they turned on. One minute, they're asleep and the next, their ready to run a marathon. Twice.

It was sickening, really.

It should have been a crime to be so chipper in the morning while the rest of the world suffered. Rosalina once told him that morning people weren't weird, only outnumbered. If that were the case, then Thomas must have been one unfortunate fellow to be surrounded by this supposed minority of oddities known as morning people.

"Hurry up, Thomas!" Cooper called from outside his house.

It was bad enough that they were shouting outside, causing an enormous racket. One of them was also calling his phone and Rosalina was honking that obnoxious horn. Thomas swore to himself that he would trash that car one day.

But not today. Slowly, but surely, Thomas threw on some jeans and a shirt, washed up, grabbed his bag, and trudged out the door.

"It's about time," Alex whined.

A forced grunt was Thomas' only response.

"Just leave him alone for a bit. He'll wake up before we get there." Rosalina glanced back from the driver's seat. "You guys all buckled up?"

"Yes, mom," the boys chorused with devious looks on their faces.

She rolled her eyes and began to pull away from the curb. The instant she shifted gears, all of the boys with the exception of Cooper and Nat started to scream at the top of their lungs while shouting, "We're al going to die!"

Rosalina switched back to park and threw her hands up in the air. "Do you guys want me to drive you or not?"

Each of them plastered innocent smiles on their faces.

"I thought so. You know, I could just let you all walk."

"Yeah. That's so much dorkier than hitching a ride in your stylish mini-van."

"Shush!" she held her hand up. "It's not my fault that my dad got me a mini-van. It's better than having no car at all."

"Hey, guys, can we just get going? I want to be there early."

"You always want to be early, Cooper."

"Okay," Rosalina sighed. "Let's go, but not a word from any of you. Promise?"

"We promise," they chimed like a group of children.

Rosalina rolled her eyes and began the steady drive to their newly renovated school. "How do I put up with you guys?" she sighed, speaking to no one in particular.

"You know you like it, Rosalina," Nat teased.

He had been grinning the whole time. No matter how obnoxious the guys behaved and how annoyed Rosalina pretended to be, Nat knew that she loved it all. Everyone really was grateful that Rosalina could give them rides, and they often wondered if they should be nicer to her.

But this way was just too much fun.

"Alright, guys. We're here. Get your stuff."

Everyone grabbed their bags and marched towards the door of the shiny, new Amigos Combination School. They found it a bit strange to see elementary school kids walking amongst the high school students with middle school kids scattered between them. It was sort of nice, though. Now, there was nothing stopping them from spending every free second of their time with each other.

Well, almost nothing.

Within minutes of walking through the door, Alex caught sight of Juanita and bolted off, promising to meet everyone during lunch. They smiled at their young friend's energy and enthusiasm, remembering the days when they used to be the same way.

But now they were all in high school, forced to go through the same monotonous routine day-in and day-out for the next nine months. Suddenly, the boys weren't feeling so excited. They felt small, almost insignificant, caught in the climax of their school's educational system. They had become so entranced by their thoughts that they hadn't realized that Rosalina was speaking to them.

"…and good luck finding all of your classes. I would try to help you out, but the whole school's been renovated, so I'll be as lost as the rest of you. I could probably tell you guys about your teachers later, though. I have something to do before class starts, and the high school classes are all the way across campus, so I'll meet you all at lunch!"

"Wait!" Nat said, grabbing her hand before she could run off. "Where are we going to meet for lunch? I know the school's going to try to keep it normal for us, but we can't guarantee that. Is there any place we can eat without getting mobbed?"

She took a quick second to think. "I know a place. I'll see you at your lockers at the start of lunch and I'll take you there. I really have to go now. Bye!"

Rosalina waved as she walked off cheerfully, leaving the boys to wallow in their stupor. They were so dumbfounded by the very thought of high school and yet Rosalina walked through the halls proudly, as if she knew the school like the back of her hand.

It was strange for the boys. Normally, Rosalina was the odd one out, being both the oldest and the only girl in the band. Now, it felt as if they were the ones out of place.

"Hey, Nat. You still in there?" Cooper was waving his hand in front of Nat's face. He had been staring blankly into space.

"Yeah. It's just this high school thing. I don't know if-"

"Oh yeah!" Rosalina appeared from nowhere, taking the boys completely off guard. "I forgot something." She glanced around her to make sure not too many people were around and gave Nat a quick peck on the lips. "I'll see you later," she said with a slight blush.

"Right," Nat managed to sputter.

Qaasim nudged Nat playfully with his elbow. "So what were you saying about high school, Nat?"

He looked at them, his trademark goofy grin stretching across his face. "I think it'll be a fun year."

_**

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_**AN:** New chapter is almost done. It'll be up very soon._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

After four grueling periods full of class introductions, course outlines, diagnostic tests, and receiving textbooks, it was finally time for lunch. They survived the initial fan rush and were able to pull themselves together quickly enough; they had seen rowdier crowds. Because Rosalina was the only one who hadn't arrived yet, the rest of the guys waited in front of her locker.

"That wasn't so bad," Nat said, brushing himself off. As always, he had gotten the worst of the mob.

Cooper, on the other hand, was grateful for never having to deal with the same clawing that the others did. "Well, they did make the announcement to leave us alone, and they're probably going to repeat it until the hype dies out."

"I hope Rosalina's alright." Of course, Nat was the one with her constantly on his mind. That part of him never seemed to change.

"Yeah, where is she?" David said impatiently. "I'm starving."

Right on cue, Rosalina walked briskly over to her locker, busily chatting on her cell phone. She was so distracted that she barely acknowledged the existence of the others.

"Yeah," she muttered to whoever was on the other line. "Did you see the new room? We all have our own offices now."

"Hey, Rosalina," Nat said hesitantly; she seemed so preoccupied.

"They're pretty big." She opened her locked and pulled out a medium-sized box, full of random folders and papers. The boys were surprised at how well she handled herself, holding the phone between her ear and shoulder while carrying the box in one arm and shutting her locker and spinning the lock with the other. It was almost as if she had done this before.

"Rosalina?"

"We'll call a meeting on Friday. You can get your keys then."

"Rosalina, do you need help with-?"

She held up her free hand to acknowledge that she had heard him but was unable to respond. The group waited patiently for her to finish.

"Yeah, so could you tell everyone for me? Thanks. I'll be organizing the office if you need me. Bye." Her phone smoothly dropped from her shoulder into her hand and then her pocket. "Sorry about that. Have you been waiting long?"

"Only forever!" Qaasim shouted in an obviously exaggerated fashion. "I'm ready to eat my arm off."

"Alright, alright. Let's go. I'll show you where we can eat. It's actually right in the middle of the school, so it's not too far away if you need a place to hide. Oh, and by the way," she gave Nat a quick kiss, "hi."

"Are you guys going to do this every time you see each other now?" Thomas groaned.

They blushed but said nothing, only deepening the boys' urge to tease them. Fortunately, their gnawing hunger kept them from going much further. Rosalina then lead the group towards the main office and around the corner. They stood before an unmarked door, and their dubious looks provoked an explanation from her. "They still haven't marked the room yet. It was completely redone when they renovated the school. Now it's bigger and the facilities are much better."

"What is it?"

"Oh. It's the journalism room. This is where we work on the school newspaper."

"The what?"

"What is this, twenty-questions or something? Just come in and we'll talk inside."

Nat let it slide and went in, followed closely by the rest of the band. As Rosalina had said, the room was quite large. Small dividers separated individual desks that were equipped with computers and other miscellaneous supplies. Printers and white boards surrounded the room. It was empty and untouched now, but they knew it would be chaos in there when the paper started running.

Ignoring the questioning looks on everyone's faces, she took them to another door in the back of the room and opened it with a key. It was a large office, similar to the individual stations except that it was much larger. Unlike the empty stations they had seen earlier, this office had a few boxes in the corner and piles of random supplies were scattered about. A decently sized sofa was placed in the corner of the office, and Rosalina prompted them to take a seat as she placed the box amongst the others.

"So this is my office. It's a mess right now. I just started to organize it before school started, which is why I had to leave so fast. You guys can make yourselves at home whenever I'm in. The journalism room is open to everyone, but you can get some peace and quiet my office. No one can come in and bother you since you need a key to get in."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Thomas interrupted. "What do you mean that it's your office? You have an office? In the newspaper room?"

"Well, yeah. I'm the editor-in-chief of _The Evergreen_."

"The what?"

"You guys really are clueless, huh?" she rolled her eyes and smiled in amusement at her underclassmen friends. "_The Evergreen_ is the school's newspaper. I started writing for it as a sophomore but I was always hanging around the room my freshman year. I got the editor position this year. Amigos takes a lot of pride in its school's paper, so it wasn't hard for us to request a bigger and better room for the journalists. We asked them to make it better, but I didn't expect them to do so much. It's awesome."

With that said, the boys accepted her answer and began to eat their lunches. They started discussing their teachers and classes, lounging on the couch and floor as if it were their own homes. She did tell them to make themselves at home, after all.

Nat, however, was still curious. "So you're the head of the paper?"

"Yes," Rosalina blinked.

"And you didn't tell us?"

"I didn't think it would matter to you guys. Is something bothering you?"

"I thought we didn't keep secrets from each other."

"This isn't a secret, Nat. I'm just the editor of the newspaper. It's nothing you have to make a big deal out of."

"You're right," he relented. "I'm just not used to it, I guess. What else is going on with you that we don't know about?"

She sat down in her swivel chair and idly spun about, thinking. "Hmm. A lot, actually. I didn't think it was that much, but I guess more things happen in two years than you can keep track of, right? Everyone just finds their niche in high school eventually. I found mine in journalism."

"You mind telling me some of these things?"

"Maybe later. I really have to get this stuff organized."

"Do you need help?"

"No," she grinned. "Just go eat your lunch. I have it under control."

He walked towards the guys sitting on the couch, but remembered something and turned back around. "Hey, Rosalina?"

Rosalina turned and the boys all silenced, thinking that Nat would make a pathetic attempt to be smooth and give her a kiss. However, he remained completely unaware that his friends were expecting him to do something romantic.

"What's a niche?"

There was a moment of silence before everyone in the office burst out into laughter, Rosalina included. Still clueless, Nat looked around, confused.

"Just eat your lunch, Nat," Rosalina laughed. "Just eat your lunch."

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_**AN:** So there's a lot of Nat/Rosalina slipping into the story right now, but I just can't help it. The story's main focus is everyone, though, so don't worry that the rest of the band will be neglected. It just takes some time to get off the ground._

_So my friend came over today and happened to read this chapter. She asked me about the whole newspaper/journalism thing and why I gave them such nice facilities. Well, my school has hideous facilities. We've had outsiders look at our school and ask if its a welfare school. Once someone thought it was a farm, no joke. Considering we're one of the top high schools in the country, that's pathetic. I just liked the idea of giving Amigos amazing facilities. So, in response to my friend's questions about why the school's so nice and why Rosalina is head of the paper: because I can._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

With the last two periods of the day done, the first day of school had finally come to a close. Thomas, having never been the most enthusiastic student to walk the halls of Amigos, trudged unwillingly across campus to get to his locker. He was unfortunate enough to have his sixth period next to the area where most of the upperclassman classes were, the furthest point on campus from his locker.

Not long after he had begun to embark on this perilous journey to the other end of the school, he received a playful poke on the shoulder. He turned to see Rosalina, as cheerful as she's ever been.

"Hey, Thomas. What are you going on this side of the school?"

"I have Mr. Manning for computer science," he groaned.

"Really? That's awesome!"

"Awesome? Look how far his class is!"

"That's because he also teaches twelfth grade English. I'm hoping to get him next year."

He looked at her in disbelief. Her enthusiasm was almost disgusting. "Why?"

"He was one of my favorite teachers!"

"You have a favorite teacher?" he asked, still incredulous.

"Yeah! You learn a lot from his class."

"He seemed pretty boring to me."

"Were you even listening?"

"No."

Rosalina sighed and stopped as they arrived at her locker. "He can't teach you if you don't want to learn. Of course, you'll be bored if you're not listening. Give him a chance He's a really a really cool guy."

"Yeah, whatever," Thomas rolled his eyes. "You're giving us a ride home, right?"

"I have to do something in the journalism room really fast I'll call you guys when I'm done."

"Okay. Bye."

He walked off and Rosalina sighed again. She and Thomas were so different from one another. Rosalina had never been so unenthusiastic about anything before. Although she couldn't relate, she still hoped that he would find something to be passionate about. Living without a purpose, without promise of a future, was barely a life at all.

Rosalina closed her locked and was surprised to see Nat standing right beside her. "Oh! Hi, Nat."

"I'm sorry," he said with a crooked smile. "Did I scare you?"

"Maybe," she said, returning a smile and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek as a greeting. "So how'd the rest of your day go?"

"Horrible. I have Mr. Adams for math."

She hissed through her teeth. "You're not going to enjoy that class."

"I know."

"Mr. Adams is strict and he's bad at teaching. On top on all that, he's just a mean guy overall."

"Yeah. This isn't going to be a fun year."

"It could be worse. Wait until you're a junior like me. Then you'll know what it really means to be in a tough class."

"Really? You seemed so happy earlier. I thought that being an upperclassman would be fun."

"Fun?" she scoffed, raising an eyebrow. "Are you kidding me? Maybe when you're a second semester senior. But as a junior, you get the toughest classes and the most work. The pressure's on, too, what with college in mind and all."

"College?"

"For everyone else I mean," she said rather quickly. "That doesn't make it any easier for the rest of us, though."

Nat grunted in response as the conversation came to a screeching halt. "Are you ready to go? We're going straight into rehearsals, you know."

"I have to do something at the newspaper room, but it'll be quick."

"Can I come?"

"Sure."

As they made their way towards the room, Nat put his arm around Rosalina's waist and pulled her close. She could feel the eyes drilling into their backs and the whispers echoing though the halls. Despite the attention, Nat didn't pull away, and Rosalina smiled; he must have been in a better mood than he put on if none of the attention made him feel self-conscious.

"So what do you need to do anyway?"

"I have to meet someone. It won't be long." She tried to hide her excitement, but failed miserably.

Rosalina's eagerness made Nat curious. "A friend of yours?"

"More like my life saver. He- Oh my gosh!"

Her statement soon became lost in an overpowering squeal. In the blink of an eye, Rosalina had leapt into the room and hugged, practically tackled, the boy standing inside.

"Whoa. Easy there, tiger," the boy said.

"How have you been? Look at you! You changed your hair! You got taller!" A dozen other painfully obvious observations later, she had finally settled down.

Nat stood at the doorway, his mind still trying to register what had happened. Hadn't Rosalina been beside him five seconds ago?

He had never seen her like this before. She was usually much more composed and quiet, but she seemed like a totally different person while at school. Rosalina was influential, popular, and much more outgoing. It was a big change in Nat's eyes, and even small things like this meeting took him a while to register.

Slowly, but surely, Nat was able to pull himself together in time to catch a glimpse of this boy that Rosalina was so excited to see. He was dressed in a slightly large, dark grey sweatshirt and somewhat baggy pants. A red hat sat backwards atop his head, covering his closely shaved brown hair. A short, clean-cut beard littered the bottom of his chin, making his seem older than he probably was. A small ring glittered from the piercing in his left eyebrow, giving him a sort of edgy look. His mahogany eyes were slightly angled, which gave his face a subtle, exotic flare.

In short, he was a very good-looking guy.

"Hey, Nat," Rosalina called, waving him over.

Snapping out of his stupor, he walked over to where they were standing.

"You already know about Nat," she said to the boy before turning to Nat. "Nat, this is Trenton Grace."

"Call me Trent. I hate my full name," he said with a smile, offering to shake Nat's hand.

"Trent's also a junior," Rosalina began to explain. "He's the one who covers for me on the paper every time we go on tour, and I've sort of appointed him as my co-editor this year since I'll need him to take care of things when I'm busy with the band. I just came here to give him a spare key to the office. I didn't think I'd get so excited about it."

"Well," Trent said, shifting his cap and placing it back on his head as a sort of nervous habit, "we haven't seen each other in a while. We were both really busy and all."

Nat began to zone out as the two old friends began to catch up. Trent seemed like a nice guy and he had done a lot for Rosalina, but Nat had a problem with him. Although nothing had actually happened that should have bothered Nat in any way, he felt uncomfortable. Trent was a good-looking guy who happened to be close friends with Rosalina, his girlfriend; Nat had a problem with this. He and Rosalina had been in a committed relationship for quite a long time now, and yet Nat still couldn't stand her talking to another boy. It was strange to him because Rosalina used to be the one that always got upset when Nat spoke to other girls, even before they had become an official couple. The tables had been turned and there was no escaping it this time.

Nat Wolff was jealous.

* * *

_**AN:** There I go with my good looking original characters again, huh? I just can't help it. There's nothing wrong with having a good looking guy around here or there. _

_And now enough of my shallowness. Sorry for the delayed update. For those of you who haven't checked out my website (which I think you should /hint hint/) then you probably wouldn't have heard about my writer's block over the past few days or the cool way that I got rid of it. I'm a bit short on time at the moment, so I'll just say that thanks to **mxcnrasengan45**, I listened to NBB's new song "Face in the Hall" and got my mind working again. It was amazing. Thanks** mxcnrasengan45**!_

_Chapter 5 is written, but not typed up yet. That's coming in tomorrow as well as another surprise for those of you who keep yourselves up to date on my site. /hint hint nudge nudge/_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"So, you just left them?"

"Well, yeah. She was showing Trent something on the computer in her office and making sure he knew where everything was so he could cover for her when she needs to. I didn't want to be a third wheel, so I just sort of left."

Nat shrugged and the guys shook their heads. After Nat had excused himself from the journalism room, he sought out the rest of his friends so he could straighten himself out. He had explained what happened to the guys, hoping that they would say something of use.

Unfortunately, they weren't being very helpful.

"So you just left your girlfriend in a room with another guy?" David said, pointing out the obvious.

"A good looking guy?" Qaasim added.

Nat, being Nat, just had to defend his position for the sake of both Rosalina and himself. "Come on, guys. You know it's not like that. They're just friends."

Thomas, of course, tended to see the darker side of everything. "You used to say that same thing about you and Rosalina."

The guys nodded, and Nat remained silent. It was difficult for him to defend Rosalina and Trent when he was feeling same way as the rest of his friends.

"Hey, guys," Cooper cut in, bring the conversation to a sudden end. "Have you seen Alex?"

"No. We were hoping that he would be here before Rosalina came back."

"Let's hope so. We should be rehearsing right now."

Without warning, Alex burst into the scene, fuming. "Where is she?" he boomed.

Everyone jumped slightly at the sudden appearance of their young friend. Nat made sure to approach the situation carefully. "Who? Rosalina? She's in her office right now."

"No, not her! Where's Jesse?"

"Jesse?" the guys echoed simultaneously.

"Why would Jesse be here? Rosalina's giving us a ride, remember?"

"No!" Alex said, not calming down even slightly. "She was here. I saw her!"

"What was she doing?"

"What do you think she was doing? She was talking to some guy!"

"Oh," everyone chorused.

It was expected. Men flocked to Jesse like moths to a flame, and she took them all in, much to Alex's dismay. No one ever knew where Alex stood when it came to his many crushes. Whenever they thought that Alex had outgrown his childish crush on Jesse, he proved them wrong.

Like he was doing right now.

Alex continued to fume as Rosalina and Trent came walking down the hall. Nat's eyes were automatically drawn to them, and he was practically glaring at them as they got closer.

Jealousy was not an easy thing to hide.

David leaned over and whispered to Qaasim. "He is pretty good looking."

"Yeah. He's way hotter than nat. He looks like a bit of a bad boy, though."

Thomas, having overheard, decided to contribute his two cents. "Maybe Rosalina likes that sort of thing. Remember Bobby Love? What do you think, Alex?"

No response.

"Alex?"

Thomas looked over to see Alex facing a completely different direction, wearing the same glare as his brother. He followed the young drummer's gaze and blinked, making sure that what he saw was actually real. "Whoa," he gasped. "Hey, guys," Thomas said, nudging David, Qaasim, and Cooper.

"What is-? Whoa."

"That guy's hot, too. What's going on around here? Alex?"

"That's the guy," he hissed. "That's the guy Jesse was talking to."

It was bad enough that the Wolff brothers suddenly had stiff competition for their women's hearts, but there was yet another twist in the road coming their way.

"Hey, Rosalina!" called Alex's new nemesis.

"Oh my gosh! Is that you, Craig?"

Rosalina jumped in the air, ran straight past Nat and the guys, and gave the man a running hug.

Trent stood in the background, grinning. "Do you normally go around tackling people like this?"

"It's only been you two so far," she responded, also grinning.

The rest of the guys stood, looking back and forth between Trent and Craig in pathetic confusion. The situation had gone from strange to even stranger. How did these two boys know Rosalina?

"Hey everyone, come here!" Rosalina waved to the rest of the band. "I want all of you to meet these two guys. Nat already met Trent over there. He's the guy who saves my butt every time I need someone to cover for me while we're on tour. This guy right here is Craig, Trent's older brother. He graduated from Amigos a while ago and he's famous for saving _The Evergreen _from being cut from the school a while back."

"Wait a minute," blurted Thomas. "You two are brothers?"

"Yeah," they responded at the same time.

Once again, the guys were left looking back and forth between Craig and Trent. They had a slight resemblance to one another, but they still seemed so different. Trent had an edge to him, brought on by his piercing, clothing, and stance. On the other hand, Craig was a clean-cut, well-dressed adult. His dark brown hair was lined into many neat, long spikes, and he wore loose fitting jeans and a collared top. Both of them had slightly angled brown eyes and, of course, they were very good looking.

"So," Rosalina cut in, breaking the band's scrutiny. "The Wolff brothers meet the Amazing Grace brothers."

Nat, after sitting through the entire ordeal in silence, had finally found his voice again. "The Amazing Grace brothers?"

"Yeah," Craig said. "That's what people call us. I used to think it was weird that they didn't just call us the Grace brothers, but I sort of got used to it."

"It's sort of ironic. Our mom used to sing 'Amazing Grace' to us all the time when we were we small. I think its funny how that title sort of stuck to us."

Rosalina looked between her two friends, happy that everyone finally got to meet one another. "That's right. The Wolff brothers aren't the only famous sibling pair to come out of Amigos."

"What are you two famous for?" Alex asked, practically interrogating the two.

"We're dancers," Trent answered.

"The best dancers in Amigos history," Rosalina added.

"Well I wouldn't say that." Trent readjusted his cap again. "There are plenty of talented people around here."

"Like you guys." Craig looked towards the band. "We're big fans of your music."

Nat and Alex didn't hear him. As the rest of the guys began to engage in awkward small talk with the Amazing Grace brothers, the Nat and Alex looked to them with private hostility. They were simply too perfect. The Grace brothers were an open threat to the Wolff brothers, even if they didn't realize it. Craig and Trent were getting to close to Jesse and Rosalina for the Wolff brothers to let it slide. This was more than just a little competition.

This meant war.

* * *

_**AN:** The Wolff brothers vs. The Amazing Grace brothers. Let the chaos begin!_

_And for those people who have been to my website, I have now opened up a forum. You can post in the general board without making an account, but registered members get more benefits. I have a lot in mind for this forum, so check it out on my site and sign up! _


	6. Chapter 6

**_Chapter 6_**

Normally laid-back and care-free, Alex was usually one to let certain things slide by. However, when it came to one of the loves of his life, he took it very personally.

That little drummer had quite the devious mind at times. Hidden behind his curly hair and wild-boy exterior was the mind of a genius. Although he was usually rather well-behaved, when Alex plotted, he made sure that his plans would be carried out in a most epic fashion. When Alex schemed, he made sure that he schemed big.

But even tiny, plotting geniuses like himself hit a road block here and there.

After setting eyes on their competition, the Wolff Brothers quickly fled the scene, whisking the band off to practice as quickly as possible. Fortunately for Nat, Trent politely declined Rosalina's invitation to watch the band practice. Unfortunately for Alex, Craig was scheduled to pick up Jesse for a date later that night.

Craig – 1, Alex – 0.

But Alex wasn't about to let himself lose simply because he had fallen a step behind. It only meant that his first step would have to be twice as big.

Much to Alex's frustration, however, Nat was being less than helpful in planning the downfall of their competition.

"Come on, Nat! You have to focus!"

"Focus on what?" he asked, having been completely spaced out. While Alex had been sitting quietly on his bed trying to think of a plan, Nat had spent the last 45 minutes laying on the top bunk and staring at the hypnotic flicker of a light bulb on their ceiling which they were too lazy to replace.

"Do I have to spell it out for you? We have to find a way to get rid of those stupid Amazing Grace Brothers!"

"You know, we can't actually get rid of them Alex." Nat was trying to take the whole ordeal in stride. Rosalina was, after all, already his girlfriend; he had much less to worry about than Alex.

"Of course we can!"

"But they're Rosalina's friends. Wouldn't she notice? And they are pretty famous. If she doesn't notice, I'm sure someone else will."

"How can you be so calm about this? Some guy out there is trying to steal your girlfriend!"

Leaning over the top bunk, Nat wrinkled his brow and glanced over at Alex. "You really think she'd fall for that guy? I mean, Rosalina and I have been going for over a year now."

"Come on, Nat. He's way hotter than you. Just look at him!"

Alex whipped out his laptop, which Nat didn't realize he was looking at this entire time, and stuck it in front of Nat's face. On the screen was a video of the Amazing Grace Brothers practicing in the school's dance studio. The video was dated to have been taken last year. Even though the brothers were fooling around in the studio and not taking it too seriously, it was obvious that the two had a lot of talent.

"Wow," Nat muttered. "They really are the best dancers at Amigos."

"That's right. Now are you going to let a guy like that steal Rosalina from you?"

He said nothing at first. After a moment of thought, he shrugged and hopped off the top bunk. "I wouldn't worry about it too much. Like I said, Rosalina's already my girlfriend. By the way, Alex, I invited the guys over for a movie tonight."

"Sure," he said, thrown off by his brother's impulsiveness. He wasn't usually like this. "What's the occasion?"

"Nothing, really. I just felt like it. They should all be here in about twenty minutes."

"Okay."

"By the way, Trent's coming," he said quickly and rather nonchalantly.

"He's what?! Are you crazy, Nat? You're just going to let him in the house like that? With Rosalina in the same room?"

"Well, yeah. They're good friends. I thought maybe we could get to know him."

Alex threw his hands up in the air, defeated. It was obvious that Nat was too far out of his mind to convince otherwise. The young drummer would have to wage war by his own means. "Whatever, Nat. Just do whatever you want, but don't come crying to me when Trent swoops in and steals Rosalina from right under your nose."

He left the room to get ready for the others to come. Meanwhile, Nat stayed in the room, smiling to himself. Alex was right about one thing – Trent was quite the heartthrob. He was cute, kind, and full of unimaginable talent. He must have also been trustworthy and smart enough for Rosalina to trust with her editor's job when she wasn't around. However, Nat had another trick up his sleeve. Trent may have been smart, but Nat was going to be smarter. Alex may have been a mastermind, but he had overlooked one key strategy. Nat was going to keep Trent right where he could see him.

He was going to keep his friends close and his enemies closer.

* * *

AN: Sorry for the alte update. I'm lucky enough to even be able to do this right now. I won't be able to update until July 1st. Check out my site for details. Hope you enjoy!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Eventually, Nat told Alex what his true intentions were. He didn't want to go through the whole night with his own brother thinking he was a complete imbecile.

After Nat's plan was Alex-approved, the guys arrived, ready to celebrate the survival of their first day of school. Not long after, Rosalina came, followed closely by Trent. Apparently, Trent's car was in the shop and Rosalina had given him a ride.

Already, Nat felt a frown tugging at his mouth, but he made sure to keep a smile on his face; Nat couldn't form a convoluted friendship with Trent if he was frowning all the time.

Once everyone had settled on the couch, Alex started the movie.

It wasn't as though Nat wasn't enjoying himself; being surrounded by his best friends meant that boredom wasn't an option. However, there were two things in the room and kept him from staying focused on the movie.

The first was, of course, Rosalina. He had always found it hard to focus with her around, and this went without exception. As she sat beside him and rested her head on his shoulder, Nat found that he had to force himself not to get lost in the moment.

Nat's other distraction was sitting on the other side of Rosalina, much too close for comfort.

Trent wasn't actually doing anything objectionable. He watched the movie, laughed when everyone else laughed, and quoted all the lines that he knew; it was as if he was just one of the guys. However, the fact that Trent had decided to sit next to Rosalina was enough incentive for Nat to keep his guard up. He wasn't going to show any open hostility, but he was going to keep Trent in his sights at all times. Nat was going to kill his rival with kindness, and he was going to enjoy every second of it.

Little did he know how ridiculous his plan truly was. It made sense in his mind, though, and that was good enough for him.

After a surprisingly enjoyable time watching the movie, the group fell silent as the credits rolled by. They were having fun but quickly fell victim to one of those "Now what?" moments. The credits finished and the DVD switched back to the menu screen. A fly buzzed harmlessly across the room. One of the guys let out a small cough.

An expected knock on the door finally brought an end to the awkward silence.

"Oh, thank God," Trent sighed. No one had noticed him holding his breath. He then noticed the strange looks everyone was giving him and smiled. "I hate silence. It makes me want to scream at the top of my lungs."

"That's why he likes hanging around the journalism room," Rosalina explained. "It's always so noisy in there. I can't stand the noise, which is why I'm glad I have an office so I can get a moment's peace."

He shrugged. "To each his own."

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Or her own," he grinned sheepishly. Following the questioning glances from the rest of the guys, he explained. "She's my boss. I can't make her mad." Trent winked and readjusted his cap.

Everyone shared a quick laugh as Craig entered, well-dressed and sharp as always. "Hey, guys. What's so funny?"

"Nothing, really," Trent answered. "So what are you doing here, big guy? You mess up the date already?"

Craig gave his little brother a punch on the arm. "No. Jesse said she'd be ready in a few minutes."

Alex's eyes immediately darkened at the mentioning of the date, but he said nothing.

Rosalina grinned, still under the impression that everyone was having a good time. "So I guess you're stuck here with us for a little while, huh, Craig?"

"It seems so. This is looking a bit dull for a party, though. Has school hit you that hard already?"

"Don't remind us," Thomas groaned.

"Sorry, frosh. You ain't seen nothing yet," Trent joked.

Rosalina took out her cell phone and checked the time. "Speaking of school, though, we better get going. Am I giving you a ride, Trent?"

"Yes, unless you want me to walk." As if on cue, his cell phone went off and he checked the name on the screen and smiled. "I have to take this. I'll be right back."

He and Rosalina had a quick conversation with their eyes, a playful grin stretching across her face as well. The rest of the guys looked over at Nat, curious to see his reaction. Not surprisingly, his disbelieving gaze was drilling into the boy's back as he left the room. The guys couldn't blame him, though.

They would have been angry, too, if Trenton Grace had just winked at their girlfriend.

* * *

_**AN**: And TFG continues! I just realized how Nat/Rosalina oriented this story is right now. It'll broaden out a bit, don't worry. I'll try to get the next chapter out faster than I got this one out. Enjoy!_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

There was always chalk lying around somewhere in that warehouse. No one could ever be sure where all of it came from or why they never ran out; perhaps everyone played part in the scattering of the little pieces about every once and a while. All they could be sure of was that there was always one handy whenever boredom struck.

It was only the second day of school which meant that homework was, for the most part, rather light, and the band members had little to do. Although there was no rehearsal originally planned for that afternoon, Nat had suddenly declared that the band direly needed another practice session, and everyone had to be present.

Thomas and Qaasim were the first ones to arrive and decided to kill some time with those ever-present pieces of chalk.

"There, what do you think?" Thomas said after a few minutes of concentrated silence.

Qaasim looked down at his friend's drawing and raised an eyebrow. "What's that standing on top of the earth?"

"That's me in a superhero costume!"

"Yeah, right," Qaasim rolled his eyes.

"Fine, then. What did you draw?"

"Here," he said, beaming with pride. "It's a real masterpiece, if I do say so myself."

"Qaasim, you drew yourself being chased by a bunch of girls with hearts over their heads."

"I know. It's just like the real thing, don't you think?"

"Come on, Qaasim. I don't that's ever happened to you even once. I mean, Nat always gets mauled. David's gotten it a few times, and even I got pawed over in Cleveland, but when was the last time you got chased by a mob of girls? I think you're losing your edge, man."

"Are you blind? The only reason Nat gets all the girls is because I let him have them."

"Whatever, man," Thomas laughed, bringing an end to the gag.

After a few more minutes of doodling, Qaasim looked at his watch and groaned impatiently. "Where is everybody?"

"Well, David said he walking E.T. over so he'll probably be here in a few minutes. I don't know where Cooper and Alex are, but I bet they'll be here soon, too. Rosalina said she had to pick something up from her house and Nat decided to go with her. They'll probably come walking in last."

Qaasim put down his chalk and rubbed his hands of the dust. "Do you have any idea what's going on with those two?"

"Who? Nat and Rosalina?" Thomas, also tired of doodling, dropped his chalk as well.

"Yeah. Did you notice how Nat didn't schedule rehearsal until after Rosalina said she had to go with Trent after school to prepare for their journalism meeting?"

"He's just jealous. He'll get over it eventually."

"I guess, but Rosalina's a busy person. He can't keep making up practice sessions like this."

"Knowing Rosalina, I bet she's already figured him out."

"You think she's mad at him?"

"Rosalina?" Thomas scoffed. "I can never tell what she's thinking."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Qaasim relented.

"Hey, guys!" came a call from the door. E.T. eagerly scampered into the warehouse, dragging David behind her. "I just saw everyone else. They should be here in about-"

"Hi, everyone!" Alex said, followed by Nat, Rosalina, and Cooper.

"-now."

"Hey, Thomas," Nat said. "Guess who we drove past on the way over here."

"Who?"

"Your computer science teacher Mr. Manning. Did you know he drives a really nice car?"

"Oh," he responded dully, shrugging it off.

"How is that class, by the way? Rosalina told me that it was supposed to be really fun."

"It's alright."

Everyone paused and stared at Thomas, incredulous looks on their faces.

"What?" he said.

"Alright?" Alex pressed, being the first to pull himself back together. "Did you just say that the class was alright? Not terrible or boring or stupid? Alright?"

"Yeah. So?"

"Wow. First, Thomas doesn't hate a class. Next thing you know he'll be smarter than you, Qaasim."

"Yeah," the guitarist scoffed, "and David will be the next captain of the football team."

"Hey!" David retorted. "I resent that."

Everyone shared a quick laugh, and soon after they settled down, Cooper got them straight to business. "Alright, guys. Let's get started. Grab your instruments."

Nat's keyboard was already set up for him, so he walked over to where Rosalina was getting set up. "Hey."

"Hey," she said, her blank expression betraying nothing of her thoughts.

"That was some nutty stuff, huh?" Nat continued, hoping to get something more out of her than a blank stare. Even he couldn't tell whether or not she was angry, stressed, or completely normal.

"Not really." Rosalina looked him straight in the eye, still no readable expression on her face. "You guys still have a few years to prove yourselves right."

She walked away, leaving behind a very confused Nat. He had already regretted scheduling the practice to begin with; he was only adding to Rosalina's already-packed agenda. The reason she had to stop at home before coming to rehearsal was to pick up some of the work she had to get done for her meeting tomorrow, and she hoped to get some things done during the dead-time of rehearsal. Nat was already feeling guilty for his impulsive decision to make a practice session after school, but when Trent had been around by, Nat had found it hard to think straight.

Now, with Rosalina's schedule full and her thoughts indecipherable, Nat thought that making light conversation would make things better. Unfortunately, it only served to confuse him more; he couldn't tell whether Rosalina's response was only a bit black humor or a foreboding prediction of her own.

Either way, it was just another one of those days where Nat wished he had just kept his mouth shut.

* * *

_**AN:** Writer's block will be the death of me, I swear. Yeah, this took a while to do. Anyone who subscribed to my newsletter or visited my site will probably know more about what I ended up doing for the past few days. I think I'm getting myself back on track again, though, so no worried. A new chapter for Autumn Eyes is coming up soon, too._


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The school year had only just begun, but that didn't make it any less of a blessing to hear the sound of that Friday's final bell. Students flooded the halls in a mad rush, not wanting to miss another second of that blissful weekend. It had been an exhausting week, and everyone was grateful that it was finally over.

But for Rosalina, the weeks never came to an end.

She was an absolute workaholic. Whether it was doing something for the paper, studying, doing class work, rehearsing with the band, rehearsing without the band, or running about trying to finish other miscellaneous errands, Rosalina always had to be doing something. Of course she scheduled time to relax and goof off with her friends, but she felt most at home while doing some sort of work. She loved the feeling of productivity and accomplishment.

Rosalina was efficient, organized, responsible, and reliable. This earned her a rather shining reputation around school, which almost surpassed the attention given to her due to her fame and the media. If there were anything she loved more than feeling productive, it was feeling useful; she loved knowing that people could turn to her to help get something done.

In her eyes, there was little else that surpassed the feeling of worth.

After many long hours of preparation, Rosalina was finally ready for the first meeting of _The Evergreen_. It was a glorious day for her, and after brewing over his foolishness in scheduling a practice the day before, Nat knew better than to ruin it for her. Besides, it was Friday, and the guys just wanted to relax and have some fun.

Of course, what they hadn't considered was that without Rosalina, they didn't have a ride, and in their advanced state of laziness, walking was not an option. Fortunately for them, Rosalina had thought this out far ahead of time. Unfortunately for them, their savior was coming in a less than desirable form.

"Either you guys are stranded or you love school enough to stay late on a Friday afternoon," Trent said as he approached the group.

Thomas managed to swoop in before Nat had the chance to say something he'd later regret. "We're waiting for Rosalina to finish up her meeting."

"Speaking of the meeting, shouldn't you be there?" David asked.

"Me? Nah. Rosalina doesn't need me around. She can handle things by herself. Actually, I'm going to be your chauffer for today."

"What?" the guys blurted at the same time.

Trent idly swung his keys around his finger. "Boss's orders," he grinned.

Alex stepped up, having become more and more intrigued by Trent's personality since the movie night on the first day of school. "How are you going to fit all of us? Do you have a van, too, or something?"

"Nope," he said, smoothly catching the keys in the palm of his hand and holding out a particular one. "But Rosalina gave me the keys to hers."

"She trusts you with her car?"

"Either that or her giving me the keys was her way of telling me how much she doesn't trust me. Besides, we're going to need her van when transporting stuff and she'll need me driving it around while she's holding meetings or whatever. Are there any more questions, or are you all ready to go?"

"No. We're good."

"Cool. Where you all heading?"

"I don't know," Qaasim shrugged. "You guys just want to hang around the warehouse?"

"Sure," David said speaking for everyone.

"Alright, let's go."

The boys followed Trent to the parking lot, and as they neared Rosalina's van, Nat pulled Alex off to the side.

"Call shotgun," he whispered tersely.

"What?"

"Just do it, Alex! Call shotgun."

"But you always get shotgun. What happened to trying to be friends with him?"

"I can't be friends with him when he's sitting that close to me."

"You're not making any sense. Come on, Nat. It's your girlfriend's car."

"Yeah, but he's not my girlfriend!" Nat said, pointing over at Trent. "Just do it, please."

Alex rolled his eyes and gave Nat a look before shouting "Shotgun!"

Trent raised his pierced eyebrow at the young boy and glanced at Nat. "Is that alright with you?"

"Yeah," he shrugged, "Why wouldn't it be?"

"I'm just checking. Some big brothers are super protective. Can't really blame them for it, either. Trust me on that one," he winked and turned back to Alex. "Alright, kid. Hop on in."

Trent pulled out of the parking lot and started heading towards the warehouse. The situation was a bit awkward for the guys, and they had no idea what to say. Fortunately for them, Trent highly preferred awkward small talk to silence and was more than willing to get the ball rolling.

"You guys really spend a lot of time at that warehouse, huh?"

For a moment, no one spoke. Alex, feeling strangely guilty about how indifferent everyone was acting, decided to try to keep the conversation going. "It's just a fun place to sit around and do nothing."

"It must be nice to have a whole place to yourselves like that."

"It is. The record company bought the place for us, but it was a big mess when we first got it."

Trent nodded slightly, keeping his eyes focused on the road. "Yeah, I remember Rosalina telling me about how you guys cleaned it all up. Wasn't she the one that started drawing on the walls with chalk?"

"Yep, but it's mostly David, Thomas, and Qaasim, now."

"It's a pity. She's such a good artist."

Nat looked up, a curious glint in his eye. "You think really highly of her, don't you, Trent?"

He pulled up to the curb in front of the warehouse, meeting Nat's glance through the rear view mirror. "There are a lot of reasons to respect her. Your girlfriend deserves everything she has and then some." After shifting the car into park, he readjusted his cap and let the boys out. "Alright, guys. Take care, now."

They all said their goodbyes and walked off. Alex was the last to leave the car, and just before he shut the door, Trent stopped him.

"Hey, kid. Don't let your brother take his girl for granted. If he starts paying less attention to her and more to what's going on around her, then he's missing the whole point."

The two stared at each other for a long moment before Alex gave an understanding nod. "Got it."

"You take care of your big bro, now, alright? He's probably going to be the best friend you'll ever have. Just a bit of advice from one little brother to another," he grinned. "See you around, kid."

As Trent drove off, Alex stood at the sidewalk, watching Rosalina's van vanish into a sea of traffic. He sighed, wondering when life had suddenly become so confusing.

It was a pity that Trent was Nat's rival; Alex was just starting to like the guy.

* * *

_**AN:** Yes, I'm still alive... barely. It's a long story so I won't even go there. I'm just going to say that its nice to be back and writing again. My main site is undergoing some construction and I'm going to be focusing a bit more on my original series so updates may take a wee bit longer. I hope you all enjoy it, though._

_And yes, I will still be updating Autumn Eyes._


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

It was early morning on that first Saturday of the school year. Having not yet grown accustomed to having to wake up any hour before noon, most teenagers and adolescents were tucked snuggly under their covers, catching up on some well-deserved sleep. Should one glance out at the busy streets of New York City, it would be very unlikely to find a young body up and about at this hour.

Least of all, Thomas Batuello.

But surely enough, there he was, walking down the street among the busy adults on their way to work and the joggers whose mornings always started hours before the rest of the world's. He walked with haste, a loose fitting jacket swaying with every swift step taken. It was a deep grey color, so that it wouldn't attract any unwanted attention, and the hood was pulled over his head so that Thomas could walk without being immediately noticed.

It wasn't as though he was trying to avoid the bum rush of fans that Nat and Alex usually get the instant they step onto the street; Thomas never really had to deal with that. As a matter of fact, Thomas didn't care if he was recognized by any fans of the band, but actually the band members themselves. Things were going well so far, though. He knew that most of his friends would be sound asleep this early in the morning.

Well, except for one.

As Thomas neared his destination, he cast a quick sideways glance toward the parking lot, spotting that familiar minivan with the obnoxious horn that was used to wake him up every morning. Tightening the strings on his jacket and slinking back as far into as hood as he could, he power walked up the stairs into Amigos and made his way through the refurbished hallways of his school, not slowing down for anything. Holding his breath as he passed the newspaper room, he thanked all his lucky stars by name when he saw that the door was closed.

The biggest obstacle overcome, Thomas relaxed a bit and began to think about what he was doing. It was odd, really. Never in a million years would anyone think that Thomas Batuello, known to be the laziest member of the band, would be caught dead choosing to go to an optional school function over sleeping in on an early Saturday morning.

"I can't believe you talked me into this," he mumbled to himself, even though no one was around to hear him. At the same time, though, he felt a small wave of excitement wash over him. It had been a while since he had shown interest in anything other than performing with the band. It was about time that he tried something new.

It wasn't long before Thomas stood in front of the door that could lead to something that would either be a waste of all his time or could change his life forever.

This wasn't like him – not one bit. Thomas didn't wake up early. Thomas didn't like being anywhere near the school. Thomas didn't like doing things or even thinking about doing things. Then again, they were only in high school, and as Rosalina once said to the boys, "You're too young to even know what's you and what's not."

Pushing away any hesitation he may have had, Thomas opened the door and walked on in.

* * *

_**AN:** IT IS ALIVE! Okay...so...long absence. Long story. Basically, college life has eaten me alive and I have very little free time on my hands. That doesn't mean I haven't been writing, though. As a matter of fact,_ A Time for Goodbyes_ is already finished...in my notebooks. I only had time to type up this chapter, but I'll try to get the rest out ASAP. Details regarding my absence can be found on my blog (below) or my website .com (no longer active)._

_Anyway, I just wanted to get this chapter out so you guys know I'm not dead. I very strongly insist that everyone check out my blog at: __.com__. I update it regularly on a lot of things including random bouts of inspiration and my progress for both fanfictions and origals (which I intend to get published). Also, if you want to subcribe to my mailing list (I will only send out notices for chapter updates or important things) then send an email to __.com__ with the word "JCMail" as the subject and "Subscribe" in the body._

_Aside from that.. it's great to be back! Thanks for sticking around you guys!_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Qaasim was not a complex person; it didnt take much to make him happy. In the end, all Qaasim really wanted was some stability. He wanted to know that there was something in his world that he could be sure something he could count on for always being there.

Once upon a time, he had believed that he found such a thing within the Naked Brothers Band. Most of them had been amazing musicians from a very young age and their passion for it seems to grow with every passing day. However, Qaasim was somewhat unsure of putting all his faith in the band. As much as he wanted it to last forever, he saw the cracks in the foundation. Hes seen Thomass restlessness and Davids cool indifference. Hes seen that Nat and Alexs potential for greatness surpassed everyone elses. Most of all, hes seen Rosalinas uncertainty and her potential for other things.

So did Qaasim still wish that they could stay the way they were forever? In a sense, yes, but he was no fool.

It was mid afternoon on a Saturday, an ideal time for boredom to strike. Being a normal teenager, Qaasim allowed himself to sleep until his eyes refused to stay closed any longer and woke up without an alarm. It still surprised him how he no longer had to deal with the annoyance of having his little brother waking him up unreasonably early every morning. Kahlil just grew out of the pesky habit, and it was just another one of those things that inevitably changed over time.

Stability was a rare thing to come by for Qaasim, especially when considering his career choice and age group. There were just too many decisions to make and too many options to pick from. He had never really told the others about his life before they joined the band. He never mentioned the countless offers he turned down from other bands and other record labels for a solo career. Instead, he settled for being a guitarist for a band of children with an embarrassing name. There was something appeling to him about being able to be in a great band and yet still be able to live a semi-normal childhood. The Naked Brothers Band was real; they were down to earth and the bond between them seemed unbreakable.

It wasnt about being in the spotlight. It was about being in it with your best friends.

So why would there be any reason for Qaasim to tell the others about the offers he received in the past or the occasional offers he still gets to cut a solo record? Or that even though he ignored the offers, he still kept them hidden away in a discrete folder in a drawer in his room?

There was no reason to tell them, and so he didnt. Out of sight, out of mind.

Rising from his bed, Qaasim sighed. Normally, he would call up one of the guys to hang out, but he wasnt feeling particularly social today. Besides, things had been somewhat odd between band members, lately. Ever since the Amazing Grace brothers had made their existence known to the band, Nat and Alex had become somewhat distracted. Even though Qaasim understood why the Wolff brothers were upset, he had no personal grudge against ether of the Grace Brothers. They were - much like the Naked Brothers Band - down to earth and fun to be around.

It was a dilemma, but one that did not involve him. All he could do was hope that it would be over soon enough and things could go back to being fun and carefree.

But amongst the random drama and odd events that threatened the stability of his life, there was always one friend Qaasim could rely on.

Glancing around the room and skimming through his various guitars, he picked up his one of his favorites: a classic Fender Stratocaster. Pushing away thoughts of conflict between the band, their uncertain future, and the opportunities he had conveniently hidden away somewhere in his room, he let the music take him away.

It wasnt about to spotlight. For Qaasim, there would always be much more to it than that.

* * *

_**AN**: Wooo. I managed to revise and type up yet another chapter... Slowly but surely I will churn this story out. I hope this chapter didn't turn out too choppy since 1. Qaasim is hard for me to write for, and 2. it wasn't written all at once, so my moods and thoughts varied throughout the writing of this chapter. I hope it turned out alright though._

_Anyway, the next chapter will switch back to the main conflict, which is what most people have been asking about: Nat and Rosalina._

_[For those who may not have gotten the memo, TFG has actually already been completed, but it is all handwritten in my notebooks, so I still have to type and revise chapters. That, among college life, is why this is taking so long to churn out.]_

_And BTW, I have been keeping up to date with NBB Season 3, but this story's plot deviates from the events of season 3, since it was developed and planned with only the events of season 2. Just in case anyone was wondering..._

_Also, I think the whole "two active stories at a time" thing is too much for me (at least for now), so Autumn Eyes will not receive the same attention as TFG at the moment, although I may give an update here or there. I want to finish this one first._

_So I'll be trying to update faster, but since I'm entering the second half of the college quarter, I'll probably be getting busier. Who knows? Anyway, thanks for those who have stuck around, and I promise the next chapter will be worth the wait!_


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Two weeks had passed and a routine had already seemed to be settling slowly into the daily lives of the Naked Brothers Band. In the mornings Rosalina would pick up the guys and whisk them off to school. Everyone would survive their first few classes and meet up in Rosalinas office for lunch and good company. After school, either Rosalina or Trent would take the guys to the warehouse where they would either have rehearsal right away or hang out until Rosalina would join them depending, of course, on who had driven them there.

Alex would frequently get distracted by Craig, who was steadily dating Jesse now. Cooper was always finding ways to keep himself busy while still keeping the band as his top priority. David seemed to be taking every day a step at a time. Qaasim was rapidly gaining experience on guitar from playing so much to ease his mind. Thomas often disappeared to do his own mysterious things when the rest of the guys thought he was just sitting lazily around his house. Nat continued to schedule rehearsals almost immediately after school, either forcing Rosalina to rearrange her plans or manage to squeeze them around practices.

It was a routine, alright. Granted, it wasnt a very good routine, but it was a one nonetheless.

For most of the members, it was acceptable, at least for the time being. However, for Nat and Rosalina, it was a constant struggle a war between two very stubborn parties. Even though there was no outward anger or petty arguments, the tension was not to go unnoticed. Nat couldnt keep his jealousy in check with Trent around, which seemed like it was a majority of the time. This caused him to continually schedule practices when he knew it was most inconvenient for her, and then later regretting it. Rosalina never showed any frustration towards Nats demands, which is what frightened him the most. Her ability to keep her composure meant that no one ever knew what was going through her head. She braved her unnecessary increase in work and frequented sleepless nights without breaking a sweat.

Rosalina was smart and she knew how to take advantage of her wit. It didnt take a genius to figure out that her lack of response to Nats jealousy would boil him down to his breaking point before hers even made its existence known. However, Rosalina also had a temper, and her fury was like the wrath of Hell bundled up in an oddly subtle package. The worst part was that no one could tell whether or not she was being clever or vengeful.

Another weekend had rolled around, and Nat was burnt out. Unsurprisingly, his plan to form a convoluted friendship with Trent wasnt working out very well. It was hard to keep an eye on his befriended enemy if he couldnt befriend him to begin with, and it was even harder to befriend a person Nat couldnt stand to know breathed the same air as he did.

_Keeping your friends close and your enemies closer,_ Nat thought to himself. _What a stupid idea._

Nat? Rosalina said, waving her hand in front of his face.

He snapped out of his trance, suddenly remembering where he was. After a long week, Cooper declared that the band would take a break this weekend, making sure to announce it before Nat had the chance to schedule anymore random rehearsals. Rosalina, too, had decided to take the weekend off, with help and encouragement from Trent, of course. The couple decided to spend the evening together, and Rosalina had driven them to a nice and affordable restaurant nearby. Not long into the dinner, Nat started zoning out, which had become a regular occurrence lately.

What? Oh sorry, Rosalina. I was just sort of spacing out, I guess, he replied sheepishly.

She sighed light-heartedly and rolled her eyes. I noticed. Honestly, Nat, I just dont know what Im going to do with you.

Rosalina was being more playful than usual, and Nat was wary of it. Within a few weeks, Nats jealousy had turned into paranoia, and he soon became suspicious of everything. He couldnt even be sure if her joking was genuine or had some underlying motive behind it. Rosalinas vengeance was not something one would want to deal with, especially if she is discrete about it. Still, he smiled at her teasing. She was his girlfriend, after all. I really am sorry. What were you saying?

She narrowed her eyes slyly, playing with Nats suspicions. He noticed this, but wasnt sure if he was being played with or was just being paranoid again. I was just saying how happy I am that Trent offered to take over for me this weekend so I could spend some time with you.

Uh-huh, Nat mumbled lamely. It was the only response he could think of.

I mean, thats so nice of him, dont you think? He actually said that he thought you and I were due for a date, but he knew I was busy.

Uh-huh. The last thing he wanted to know was that his rival was telling him how he should date his own girlfriend.

And I mean, if it were anyone else, I would have said no. But I knew I could trust Trent. Hes always covering for me and watching my back.

Nat was clenching his jaw tighter and tighter with every word she said. Thats very nice of him, he almost hissed. He didnt realize it, but he was starting to turn red.

The other thing he didnt notice was the look of triumph slowly emerging on Rosalinas face. She was playing with him like a cat would its prey. Trents such a great guy. Any girl would be lucky to have him, dont you think?

That was all it took. Before he knew it, Nats mind began to melt and spew itself onto his tongue, causing him to speak almost incoherently with his words coming out at a mile a minute. Trent? Oh yeah, Trents an amazing person, huh? Yeah. I mean anyone would be lucky to have him. Hes smart and reliable and helpful and everything, isnt he? You can trust with him anything, cant you Rosalina? I mean, you let him drive your car and do your job. You give him an extra key to your office and let him waltz around like he owns the place.

Nat she said with a slight smirk.

Still he kept going. Oh and he just happens to be the one of the best dancers in the world, too. Hes famous just like us and hes been on TV and won awards and everything. And yet he still finds a way to live a normal life and attend school just like we do! Its just amazing, huh?

Nat

Oh and you cant forget about how he looks. Hes tall, dark, and handsome like Prince Charming, but hes not a boring little good boy, is he? He likes to wear big clothes and his hat backwards. And he has those piercings. No girl can resist those can they? Hes just perfect, isnt he? Trent is just perfect! And he-

Nathaniel Marvin Wolff! Rosalina interrupted, successfully this time. Are you jealous?

Finally, Nats liquid brain re-solidified, and he realized what had just happened. Rosalina had a triumphant smirk and her eyes were shining with amusement. She had been playing with him ever since he scheduled that first rehearsal. She knew that her composure would wear him down and that by talking to highly of Trent, she would finally break him open. Rosalina had outsmarted Nat in a way he didnt know was even possible. She had cornered him and so he did the only thing he could.

He nodded sheepishly, a blush rapidly turning his face tomato red. Yes.

She couldnt help but laugh, and the indignant suddenly felt the need to defend what was left of his pride.

I mean, you heard what I said. The guys perfect!

Nat

And you said it yourself that any girl would be lucky to have him.

Nat

How couldnt I be jealous of a guy like that?

Nat! He has a girlfriend!

And hes sowait. What?

Once again, Rosalina couldnt help but laugh. Youre so dumb, Nat, she managed to say in between giggles. She quickly managed to pull herself together, and began to explain. Remember when we were watching that movie at your house one night? It was right before Craig took Jesse out on their first date. Trent left to take a call, remember?

How could he forget? Nat barely slept that night because all he could think about was how Trent winked at Rosalina. Yeah, I remember.

That was his girlfriend. Theyve been dating for almost three years now.

Oh, well thenum, he stuttered. There was really nothing for him to say at this point.

Youre so stupid, Nat. She grinned and gave him a quick peck on the lips. Anyway, he texted me a few minutes ago, and I think he needs my help with something real quick. Would you mind if I called him back? Itll only take a minute.

Yeah, sure. Go ahead.

Rosalina touched his shoulder lightly as she left to make the call. Nat watched her as she left, his mind still trying to process everything that just happened. She had him beat; there was no doubt about that. In a way, Nat was relieved. The news that Trent was no longer a threat to his relationship liked a massive weight from Nats shoulders.

But a part of him couldnt but worry.

It went without question that Rosalina was clever and sly. Her subtle techniques almost always brought her victory, this dinner being a prime example of that. On top of that, she was influential, rightfully earning her status among her peers as a respectable, hardworking, and ambitious leader. She had potential, and was not the type of person who would let herself be held back.

Perhaps Nat couldnt be sure of exactly what it was that bothered him. All he could be sure of was that Rosalina DiMeco was a force to be reckoned with, and anything that stood in her way would inevitably face the consequences.

* * *

_**AN**: Few.. That was a doozy to edit and type up. This was one of those chapters that sort of just wrote itself, so I hoped it turned out alright. This also took a lotta time to do, and so my mood and tone MAY have changed as the chapter progressed, but I tried my best to keep it consistent._

_But anyway, with this mini-conflict resolved, the band gets a little break from the drama... but not much of one. There is still much more to come!_

_Also, there is a bit of news on my YouTube Channel... But it's nothing big. You can access it through the link bar on the right side of my Livejournal (which you can access through my profile._

_Thanks for reading!_


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